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photo - Jan Johnsen, Croton Point Park
Robert Ulrich was in the hospital with a badly broken leg.
Forced to lie flat on his back, Ulrich, an environmental psychologist, stared for hours at a too bright ceiling light surrounded by acoustic ceiling tile.
“I remember...how much I wished I had an attractive image on the ceiling,” Ulrich recalls. White Birches - Jan Johnsen, Boscobel
Now the director of the Center for Health Systems & Design at Texas A&M University, Ulrich produced groundbreaking research that found that viewing natural scenes in a hospital aids stress recovery by evoking positive feelings, reducing negative emotions and blocking or reducing stressful thoughts.
When test subjects viewed gardens as opposed to urban scenes, they exhibited lower alpha rates which are associated with being wakefully relaxed. Garden by Jan Johnsen
Further research by Ulrich indicated that surgical patients who had views of nature had shorter post-operative stays, fewer negative commen…

Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson (he brought you Hotmail) is one of the most influential funders and thinkers in Silicon Valley. He's also an enthusiastic rocket hobbyist, blogger and Flickr-er.

I think of him as a science genius who takes great photos...it has nothing to do with horticulture, design or anything similar...but I follow his photostream avidly...Here is why..this is today's photo on Flickr (click here).

It is that time of year and you want to give wonderful, heart warming gifts to your dear friends...unusual and touching presents that acknowledge who they are and what they are into...not just hand cream.... right? And you don't have a lot of money to spend and you would rather order now, from the computer, than go crazy in a crowded and crazed shopping scene... So in that spirit I am going to suggest some inexpensive gift ideas for your gardening pals...the money limit is $15. and less for some fab ideas... the market research is this: If I want it then they will too.

and remember that the gift wrap is as important... http://www.realcountryliving.com/ recommends getting flour sack dish towels and using them as gift wrap - two gifts in one! and no waste.

Hinkley Lighting - Harbor Lights Light illuminates our lives. It helps us to notice the details and, by highlighting, it tells us silently what is important. Outdoor light leads us on.

So with that said, let me share with you an informative piece from a Great Lighting Company - HINKLEY LIGHTING (click here).... I do this because people invariably choose lanterns that are too small for a chosen outdoor site. This article from the Hinkley site may help you. ALL PHOTOS HERE ARE FROM THE HINKLEY WEBSITE.

The height of an outdoor lantern should be based on the height of the door:

FOR 1 LANTERN: If you place a lantern on only one side of the door, it should measure one-third the height of the door. The center of the bulb should rest 66" above the threshold of the door.

FOR 2 LANTERNS: When two lanterns are used, they should each measure approximately one-fourth the height of the door. The center of the bulb should rest 66" above the threshold of the door.

Autumn, the year's last loveliest smile. ~ William Cullen Bryant It is November and here, in the Northeast of the U.S., the brisk breezes are blowing, the rain is coming down and the leaves are falling, falling.... So we must content ourselves with the sweet leftovers - the berries, the cabbages, the mums and some lovely remaining leaves. The ones on the Japanese Maples are brilliantly stunning this year:

The berries on the winterberry - Ilex verticillata - are in their glory. All ready to be made into a Thansgiving wreath.

from Toronto Gardens blog I am heading out to teach today so I do not have time to write at length..the class is 'Secrets of Creating Serenity Gardens'...as they are 'secrets' I don't write about them here - Rainbow Swiss Chard but please note the 'Color Energy' insert on the sidebar on the right - Gomphrena 'Buddy Purple' and 'Jack Frost' Brunnera Color is energy and you are energy , put them together and you get an omelette! (so to speak). When I was in college decades ago we were asked to write our vision of the future...Everyone wrote about a 'Jetson-like' (a cartoon about flying cars and robot maids) reality... Dwarf Iris I wrote about how everyone would wake up and 'know' what color the day was...and would wear that same color by intuition...do you ever notice how you end up wearing the same colors everyday as someone in your life or surroundings? its uncanny....

one of my landscapes - Jan Johnsen What is evergeen, deer resistant, thrives in shade, has flowers and comes back every year? You could answer Andromeda (Pieris) - but it doesn't really like shade. Perhaps you answered Hakonechloa (Japanese Forest Grass) but it doesn't have flowers. Barberry (berberis) and Daffodils are not evergreen. Grasses, Boxwood and sedges don't meet this criteria either.... from Debs Garden

The problem free, shade loving Hellebore (Helleborus) is the answer. They are a perfect plant for a Serenity Garden....

The Perennial Plant Association's Plant of the Year for 2005, Hellebores bloom from winter to early spring across the United States, depending on USDA zone and variety. They like light to moderate shade, especially an area shaded by deciduous trees, with full sun when they flower, and protection from summer heat.

I am interested in what opens the inner eye that children have, that makes you aware of what matters. Gardens are good at that. ~ Mary Keen
Gardens and children go together. Like the little girl in the garden in the children's classic, 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett, we are exposed to a world of wonder if we only stop and peer into its mysteries...

this is a book for all ages - a great read!

Of course, the garden described in Hodgson's book was an English walled landscape but it could have been any kind of outdoor space devoted to bridging the gap between the human and the green world.....

This is the purpose of a Serenity Garden...I don't care so much if it is a magnificent boxwood construct filled with flowers or if it is a little sunny spot carved out of a wooded hill...a serenity garden is a place where 'feeling ' is paramount, where the atmosphere tingles with Nature's radiance. 'Crystal Palace' Lobelia in a hanging basket upo…

Hello! Serenity in the Garden is for anyone who loves the green world and its glories - I share all things 'garden'- flowers, plants, products, designers, techniques and more. The posts are inspiring and informative and are based on my 40 years in the landscape profession.

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